Monday, 10 June 2013

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is recognised
internationally as a clear form of violence against women and girls. It
reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme
form of discrimination against women. It is not necessarily an offence
committed by men on women, as women also commit the offence. However, it is
regularly carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.
However it is also performed to control the sexuality of women. Furthermore
some of the people who have gone through FGM tend to be also psychologically
affected and therefore easy for men to control. The practice also violates a
person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be
free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to
life when the procedure results in death.

FGM prosecutions should therefore be addressed within an
overall framework of violence against women and an overall human rights
framework. Where appropriate, prosecutors should make links with other topics
such as domestic violence, rape and sexual offences, honour crimes, forced
marriage, child abuse, crimes against the older person, pornography, human
trafficking and prostitution.

Prosecutors should recognise the diversity of victims.
People tend to paint the victims with one brush. What might work in one case
would not be applicable to all victims. Victims' experiences of FGM are
undoubtedly affected by identities distinct from gender, like their ethnicity,
age, sexuality, disability, immigration status and religion or belief as well
as country of origin. Each victim's individual experiences of violence will be
different, and some victims may encounter additional barriers to accessing
justice. For example, a young woman forced into agreeing to these procedures
may find it difficult to report domestic violence because she fears she will
not be taken seriously as a result of her age. The safety and needs of each victim
should be assessed on an individual basis.

Charging in Female Genital Mutilation cases

The prosecution of FGM cases should be considered
serious. This practice causes serious harm and, as a result, the FGM Act
increased the maximum penalty from 5 to 14 years' imprisonment but there have
not been any prosecutions.

The Female Genital Mutilation Act (the Act) makes it
clear that it is an offence for anyone (regardless of their nationality and
residence status) to perform FGM in the
UK, or to assist a girl to perform FGM on herself in the UK. Provided that
the mutilation takes place in the UK,
the nationality or residence status of the victim is irrelevant. But surely how
about those people with UK residence status, who take their children back to
the countries of origin in summer and have them cut? And if someone does cut
girls in the UK for example in long
summer school holidays, how is it going to come out? In the diaspora, people
tend to protect each other to avoid being isolated and even victimised,
therefore there is need to offer support and shelter to those who speak out. There
is need to spread the message that those who testify will not be alone and can
even get protected.

However, there may be circumstances when the nationality
of residence of the victim is relevant and it may be difficult to apply the
Act. Prosecutors should remember that in cases where it is not possible to
apply the Act, they should consider the full ambit of charging. Assault,
conspiracy and child cruelty are just some example of charges that can arise in
these circumstances.

Prosecutors should be aware, when dealing with a case of
FGM that the victim may not just be a victim of FGM. The victim may also have
been subjected to rape and other sexual offences, or may have been subject to a
forced marriage. The victim may be under 18, and may also be a victim of ill
treatment.

If there is no direct evidence specifically for FGM, then
surely, perpetrators of this horrific crime should be charged on other crimes
like Child cruelty, etc

Saturday, 8 June 2013

I've often noticed how we continuously misunderstand each
other as people. Non- white people in particular, often feel as though they
have to explain themselves to their fellow white brothers and sisters and white
people on the other hand would always want to prove to know more than a black
person

Being the model citizen I am, I have put together a
little guide which should help. Feel free to e-mail or tweet me with your
suggestions too. (Bigots, racists and homophobes need not bother).

1. Let's just get this out of the way right now. Yes, non white people wash their hair.
Do I hear you ask how often? As often as any other race: every day for some,
twice a week for others, once a month for others. Get the picture? Great. Let's
consider the matter buried then.

2. Criminals scare
us, too. We don't feel comforted by the fact that someone who's the same
race as us is robbing us. Crime is crime. So sit down and think before
insulting or painting people with the same brush. Criminals, exist in every
race.

3. "You speak
English so well" is something you say to a two-year-old who's just
learned how to talk. No matter how well you mean it, stay away from that phrase
- it makes you sound like a WASP berk. Speaking of language, until the day you
can say English words properly, you will hear ‘’sorry I don’t understand’’ You
wouldn't do that if the person was French or Italian - you'd think it's cute.

4. If you have to say: "My black friend Lucy", then you have a problem. We will
automatically put you in the same box as closet racists. Sorry, I meant to say
uptight liberals.

5. None of us
represent the entire black race, so blanketed enquiries about why black
people do this or that won't get you anywhere. We're individuals first before
we are black. In addition, Africa is a continent not a country like some people
think.

6. There isn't enough space in this column to express how
intensely it bothers us when you grin when you make eye contact with a non-
white person especially after there has been something bad on the news about
people from the same race. It makes us feel like you're afraid we'll take your
wallet or have a bullet in your head. Every race has good and bad people. Nothing to
do with skin colour! Next time you make eye contact with a colleague or
stranger, either walk past or say "hello’’ Just don't grin. It's not warm,
it's fake.

7. We can swim. Oh come, don't act like you weren't
thinking about it. Some of us can even scuba dive and snorkel.

8. Talking slowly as if to a deaf person- ‘’Do
---you---speak---Eng..l..ish? It does annoy considering that speaking a
language has nothing to do with skin colour

The dangers of stereotyping, huh?

In my campaign against FGM I have heard people saying,

''O why bother,let them continue with their barbaric practices,it has nothing to do with us''

Please have empathy. Violence is violence ,it has no boundaries. 'Remember the solution in ending this horiffic parctice is not a one size suits all solution' Each country is different and any campaign should be tailor made for the individula country.

And of course I am not stereotyping. I appreciate the work being done out there and well done. No to FGM!

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

I know I have said this many
times but I will not be stop saying it, because I believe men from both FGM and
non FGM practising communities can make a big difference.

To start with men from FGM
practising communities tend to be the ones in control of their families. Their
word goes. While this is less often the case in Europe
it is important to understand that women are still economically dependent on
their husbands all over the world, and would not want to risk the possible
consequences of refusing to conform, even to the demands of such appalling
traditions.

Since, in some of these
communities, one of the reasons for the continuation of FGM is to control women
sexually, there is a need to raise male awareness in ways that are tangible to
them .What man would want his daughter to be married as a virgin if he fully
understood how her virginity had been preserved?

It is also important to
remember that chastity is still something some of the patriarchal communities
cherish and men might therefore be conditioned into the idea that a virgin wife
is rightly theirs( if infibulations or
other forms of FGM will ensure this, then so be it.) So changing the mindsets
is necessary.

As I said before FGM has
nothing to do with culture, but the beliefs and practices that spring from male
perceptions of how they should expect a woman to be. For many women however,
getting married and keeping the marriage is the key to survival even if it
means going against their better judgement. So by consenting to the mutilation
of their children, they think they are helping them towards a better future
with a man to provide for them in adult life. The tragedy perpetuates itself.

Both men and women need to
change their mindset together.

Some women have actually
been mutilated after getting married because their husbands wished so and
because of the pressure from the communities they live in.

This is child abuse and its
time girls and boys, men and women know the truth of this horrific practice. As
child abuse, more prosecutions are needed but we can only get them if people
know what FGM is and I don’t think the media is doing enough to educate its
readers viewers and listeners.

Quotes

Married to a Devil

About Me

Welcome to my blog!
I hope you find it interesting. If there is nothing of interest today,please keep on checking. You may never know what tomorrow has.
I write about issues that affect women mostly in the underdeveloped parts of the world. My first book is called 'Married to a Devil'.
Don't get me wrong,I also write about men.
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